Player portrait: online casino target audience
An important part of a successful business strategy is understanding the target audience, its structure, features, and aspects motivating its behavior. Here we sketch a typical portrait of an online gambler that can be helpful in developing marketing strategies and deciding on the best way to organize and promote casino services.
Demographics
The demographics of the online casino audience can vary in terms of players' age, gender, income, geographic location, professions, and hobbies. Thus casino visitors can be split into groups having different motivations and reasons why they gamble. For example, people with high and medium-income regard visiting casinos just as a way of entertainment, while people in the low-income group hope to turn gambling into an additional source of profit.
Gender
It's remarkable that while players' gender distribution in land-based casinos is highly skewed towards the male population, with men comprising about 80% of players, the proportion of men and women in online casinos is more or less equal, with more than 40% of visitors being women. Women also comprise 30% of high-income players and generally tend to spend more money in the casinos than men. It's considered that women gamblers are more impulsive and can more easily become victims of gambling addiction.
Presently online casinos take into consideration the growing number of women players, adding themes and features that can appeal to them, as well as creating marketing campaigns aimed specifically at women.
Profession
The significant part of online casino players have professions associated with high and medium-income, such as management and banking. People holding those jobs have sufficient funds to afford gambling as a leisure activity and are generally inclined to view it as a good way to spend time.
A special category of gamblers worth noting are those for whom gambling is actually their profession. Exploiting their deep knowledge of various nuances and loopholes related to distributions of odds and bonuses, and showing high proficiency in skill-based games such as poker and blackjack, they manage to make a stable income playing in the casinos.
Interests and Hobbies
Online casino regulars may have other hobbies and interests associated with high living standards such as real estate, cars, sport, travels and entertainments, movies and theatre plays, art, culture, and politics. Apart from playing in casinos, many are involved in other forms of gambling such as betting on sports. A common characteristic often uniting their various interests and activities is that most of them are related to thrill-seeking and risk.
Devices
According to recent statistics, more than 70% of people playing in online casinos do it from mobile devices. The main reasons for that include the high popularity of this way to access web resources, as well as the convenience the smartphones provide allowing people to play casually on their way to work or during breaks between other activities. This factor is very important and should be taken into account by the online casino and game developers who have to ensure that their games and user interfaces look well and easy to use on mobile devices as well as on laptops.
Location
With increasing internet connectivity around the world, it can be said that there are no geographical boundaries limiting online entertainment. Meanwhile, there are countries and places where online gambling is particularly popular. The level of gambling activity can be associated with the country's living standards, traditional attitude toward gambling, and the quality of communicators. According to the statistics, online casinos as a leisure activity are the most popular in Australia, Singapore, and Ireland. The United States and China, not being leaders in terms of the number of visits, lead by the amount of money gamers leave in the casinos there.
Game Type
Based on the Internet traffic data, the most popular choice among gamblers is different types of slots attracting close to half of all the online casino traffic. The second by popularity are traditional card games such as poker, blackjack, and baccarat.
The popularity of various types of casino entertainments is not in the least defined by players' demographics, most significantly their age, with preferences alternating between more conservative choices and novel and experimental game variations.
Psychology and motivation
There are several primary reasons motivating people to play in the casinos, among them:
- A belief in the possibility to beat the casino and make a big win one day
- An attempt to take a break from the boredom and tedium of day to day life
- Seeking gambling thrill and excitement of fresh impressions
- A player's interest in testing his skills in games where skills are required to win
The players' primary motivation determines their choice of games and what elements and features of online casino environments can stimulate them. It's also an important thing to take into consideration while crafting marketing messages and campaigns.
Character and temperament
All the gamblers can be split into two major categories based on their psychological makeup:
Those who approach gambling with rationality and mathematical precision. They know odds and understand the chances and possibilities to win, devising methods and schemes increasing their advantage against the casino. They never lose head and are unlikely to be carried away by a streak of good luck making them spend uncontrollably. All their expenses are measured, and their playing style can be characterized as steady and calculated. The majority of professional gamblers match this psychological profile.
Players relying on their intuition and hunch. They are superstitious, believe in their luck, fate, and that they can intuitively identify the moment when good fortune is on their side and they are bound to win big. They have difficulty controlling their emotions and impulses and tend to spend a significant amount of money in the heat of the moment. Most of the compulsive gamblers and people suffering from gambling addiction fall into this category.
Behavioral characteristics
People attending online casinos may differ depending on their experience, psychology, temperament, and motivation. All of these factors determine their behavior. It's possible to distinguish the following groups:
Beginners. Players visiting casinos for the first time seeking new impressions. They tend to be cautious and reserved while exploring this new environment and they avoid making large bets. Upon gaining more experience and confidence they become casual or regular players.
Casual players. They play, now and again, mostly to relieve boredom and fill the time. They seek variety and are interested in anything novel and unusual a casino can offer. The amount of money they spend may vary depending on their mood.
Regulars. People who attend gambling sites regularly and have their well-established preferences regarding their choice of games. For the most part, their tastes are conservative, and they prefer traditional gaming house staples. Many of the regular players have impressive skills in games requiring intellect and strategic thinking.
Compulsive gamblers. This group is represented by people having difficulties controlling their impulses and actions. They are unable to draw the line and when they start playing they get quickly overwhelmed by an irrepressible desire to catch the elusive big prize. As a result, they often spend more money than they can afford. The unpredictable and disruptive behavior of compulsive gamblers can be damaging for the casino reputation, so casinos often keep an eye on such players, trying to keep their impulses in check.
High rollers. Players with high incomes who can afford to spend substantial sums of money on entertainment. They make large bets and are undeterred by losses becoming the one-time major source of profit for the casinos. In return, they expect preferential treatment and recognition of their high status and privileged position.
Why do people gamble?
An important psychological factor motivating people to gamble is their subconscious aspiration to get something for free. Casinos offer an illusory possibility to make a quick profit and, after a few wins, a player can experience a giddy feeling, believing that with good luck he can make money effortlessly just playing in a casino. Many assume that with the right approach and method it's possible to beat the casino. Games of chance generally exploit our superstitions and beliefs in invisible forces defining our fates and good or bad fortunes.
Superstition
Naturally, many gamblers believe in supernatural powers occasionally granting them winning streaks, at other times turning their backs on them. Superstition is in the very nature of gambling since playing games of chance presumes the belief that good luck is something real that can be captured and exploited. Part of the players think they can sense that moment when fortune favors them and they are bound to make that big win if they play right now. There are various charms and amulets used by gamers to boost their luck and subliminal perception, and sales of such items have presently developed into a separate gambling-related industry adding to the direct profits of the casinos.
Customer preferences
Players' expectations of an online casino depend on their age, gender, and what initially motivates them to play. Accordingly, they might find different gambling site features appealing.
For example, gamblers whose main purpose and motivation is to win favorably accept any promotional information related to bonuses and special offers or anything increasing their chance to make some profit. Bright colors and vivid imagery can appeal to those who visit casinos to seek thrill and excitement, and in order to attract women gamblers casinos employ feminine themes and cultural references appealing to them.
Generally, based on players' preferences we can identify several distinct groups:
Conservative players preferring traditional games such as roulette, poker, blackjack. They also appreciate conservative designs and color schemes reminding them of those typical for brick and mortar casinos, and they don't like all things flashy and unconventional.
Players seeking novelty and new impressions. Those are mostly younger players for whom gambling blends with a multitude of their various experiences in video games and other cultural tropes. They prefer themed games with quest elements, advanced slots with vibrant graphics, multiple reels, and complex systems of paylines, as well as everything new and unusual.
Players who give their preference to the games requiring intellect and skills, such as poker and blackjack. These players are eager to test and demonstrate their abilities and are highly encouraged and motivated when their gaming proficiency pays off.
Perfect Player
Considering observable gaming trends and players' demographics, a perfect player can be described as a person in the middle to high-income brackets, with moderate gambling habits and predictable behavior who play in online casinos regularly seeing it as a pleasant and entertaining pastime. Such a player brings average but stable profits to a casino, without the negative effects of excessive and compulsive gambling.
Marketing impact methods
In order to develop a successful marketing strategy, you need to identify your target audience and decide what forms of promotion will be the most relevant to it. Also, all the elements comprising the image of your casino business, including the choice of games, style, and design must reflect your target audience preferences and perceptions. Methods of promotion may include ads, mailing lists, social media marketing, and building gambling-related fan groups and communities. Currently, the traditional approaches to marketing give way to more subtle unobtrusive tactics, and the vast amount of data and statistics about users' online behavior makes it possible to achieve more precise targeting and increase the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
How to better understand your target audience?
In order to get a fuller understanding of a specific group of potential players you target, you need to identify and study other specifics of their behavior and motivation, which can give you valuable insights about what particular aspects of gambling can appeal to them, and what you can expect from them as potential clients of your casino. Various groups and categories of people can have certain cultural trends associated with them, and examining them may help you get a firmer grip on the ideas and principles you can use as a base for a successful marketing strategy.
How to attract traffic to your online casino?
Among the most popular and reliable methods of generating leads are the following
Blog posts and articles. Apart from increasing your resource visibility for search engines, this method can bestow on you a good reputation and credibility among your potential clients who will be associating your business with quality content and expertise.
YouTube channels. A picture worth a thousand words, and videos are a preferable form of information consumption for the vast majority of people these days. Make your videos informative and entertaining, and it will inevitably pay off turning into new leads and profits for your business
Mailing lists. It's a time tested method of attracting new and retaining old clients that still works. It's a good common practice to notify the subscribers about all the important events and special offers, keeping them tuned in and motivating them to play more often.
Social media. A large proportion of internet users mostly spend their time on social networks, and information they get there feels more authentic and reliable to them. Therefore it's generally a good idea to maintain your business social media profile letting you spread your message and engage users directly whenever possible.
Webinars. This form of promotion has a huge benefit in that you establish direct contact with your audience, and you can immediately receive feedback and evaluate whether your marketing message works and how your audience perceives you and your business.
Popular sites and magazines. This is a treasure trove of potential leads considering the number of visitors and subscribers a popular internet magazine might have. If you manage to produce content good enough to be considered for publication on the leading gaming internet portals you can expect an immediate and significant boost in popularity of your resource.
All in all, there are endless options regarding generating web traffic, and by choosing the right combination of methods you can quickly increase the number of visitors to your site.
Conclusion
Building and promoting an online gambling business on the market characterized by tough competition can be hard, and it's essential to understand what niche you want to occupy and the target audience you will try to appeal to. Therefore studying gamblers' psychology and motivation - knowing how preferences and underlying motives can be different for different types of gamblers - is one important element crucial for your success.
